Short version: Arrghhh!
Long version:
For historical reasons (and some commercial software) my "own" machines run OS X. (Up until a week ago I had a ten year old x86 machine as well, but I’d used up all my spare parts, and wanted the cupboard space, so it had to go.)
Virtualisation (or “Virtualization”, depending on the version of English you write), you say. Didn’t I use to be an expert on that? (By most definitions, yup. But not on x86/x86_64.)
I have been using Parallels 4.x, and found it usable. I could (with arm twisting) get it to run NetBSD-4.0/i386 (32 bit, not 64 bit) and there were limitations with its networking support on OS/X.
Parallels keep encouraging me to buy their (now not-so-new) 5.x, and offer a trial version. So I tried it. (Emphasis on the past tense.)
- it won’t run NetBSD-5.0/amd64 any way I can figure out (a main target for a go port)
- it will run NetBSD-5.0/i386, and is fast (but I’m not so convinced about the stability)
- it runs Linux (surprise ☺)
- it won’t run FreeBSD-8.0/amd64, which I want for comparison purposes.
- its ACPI is … peculiar (And yeah, I know ACPI is overly complex and stupid. I even know what the acronym stands for. But we have to live with it these days, "the industry" tells us)
And they want money for this. Maybe I’d prefer to give my money to VMware.
But before I do anything rash, I try VirtulBox again. It’s updated a few versions since I used it last; it’s sorta-kinda-partly-at-least open source. Last time I ran it it had problems with NetBSD, ran slow, and caused my laptop to run hot.
This time, installs NetBSD-5.0 (i386 and amd64), with ACPI (gee, revolutionary in 2010, dontchathink?) and they’ve moved to include bridged networking on OS/X, which means I don’t have to run it on my laptop.
Looks like a winner. Except that it won’t run FreeBSD/amd64 any way I can figure out. (I am sure I saw it installing and losing access to its “disks”, but all subsequent attempts to boot it make it look like a 32 bit machine trying to boot a 64 bit kernel). It does run FreeBSD-8.0/i386, at least. And 32 and 64 bit Linux, of course.
Maybe I want VMware after all. Something that "just works" would be nice. Truly nice. Especially if it keeps working when I stress it, which isn’t necessarily going to be the case with any of them. (Or OS X, of course. Don’t mention the transitory network problem that I can’t pin down to hardware, software, or even a single machine yet.)
Rant for the day is now over. Progress might resume shortly.